Every year, on February 22nd, 10 million Guides and Girls Scouts worldwide have been celebrating being a part of an international community. They celebrate being associated with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, which can also be referred to as WAGGGS. Each year has a theme, which the girls discuss, causing them to engage themselves in the significant issues arising throughout the global community. Themes from previous years have included discovering your potential, poverty, empowering girls and providing access to primary education. This year’s theme was 'impact': how girl guiding has changed the girl’s and their community’s lives. This tradition was established in 1926.
Worldwide Thinking Day originated after Guide and Girl Scout organisations worldwide would meet in the USA for the 4th World Conference in 1926. The decision was made to have a day to commemorate all Guides and Girl Scouts being a part of an international movement. The date (February 22nd) was chosen as it was the joint birthday of Lord Baden-Powell and his wife Olave Baden-Powell; they were the founder of the scout and guide movement and the World Chief Guide. The name was officially altered to ‘World Thinking Day’ in 1999 at the 30th World Conference in Dublin when delegates thought to emphasise the global essence of the event, hence the name.
The idea of what is now known as the World Thinking Day Fund began after the 7th Word Conference, 1932. The Belgian ambassador stressed the fact that birthdays customarily involved the giving of gifts, putting forward the idea that girls could emphasise their thanks on Thinking Day by contributing to the organisation’s fund. Olave Baden-Powell followed through by writing a letter to all Guides and Girl Scouts requesting them to donate to assist in the funding guiding globally. It was proposed that they should each donate a penny which was enough to buy a loaf of bread then. This is now known as the World Thinking Day Fund, and the details on how to donate can be found on girlguiding.org.uk.
Some units have created traditions they carry out each year. For example, a unit in Auckland, New Zealand, trek up Mount Eden (643 feet at it’s highest point) before sunrise. They represent their pride by setting up a mini campfire and flag-staff, before going through the process of setting up the Guide World Flag and singing the World Song as the sun rises. Other traditions consist of lighting a candle by their window to represent their ‘Guiding Light’, which they allow to ‘shine’, both metaphorically and physically. There have been some years in which a postcard campaign was run, allowing girl scouts and guides to communicate through letters and postcards prior to Thinking Day. Nowadays, girl guide and scout groups can find penpals in other units internationally, connecting girls in 150 countries, including India, Mexico, Switzerland and organisations throughout Africa.
